My fears of my Cadillac Medical Insurance coming to an end is beginning to happen.

Every Empire Falls

It is a long litanty of fallen empires including Greek, Roman, Mongol, Spanish, Dutch, and British. Now, it is the US turn to experience the loss of it primacy. It is easy to see the decline of America in the last couple of decades. Some historians point to patterns of decline. This author suggest seven common signs: fixation on their ideology, absorption in amusement and entertainment, government corruption, degrading public health, nutritional stratification and food challenges, over expansion, and constant war.

Afternoon folks!

There's a pile of blues for you guys this week. Chicago guitarist Son Seals has a live album, harmonica player Big Walter Horton has a studio album, there's an Otis Redding album in glorious original mono and New Orleans singer Johnny Adams weighs in with an album of Percy Mayfield tunes. Guitarist David Lindley has an album of cool blues-rock and reggae inflected tunes, Captain Beefheart's album delivers the weirdness and we finish up with Buffalo Springfield's (Neil Young, Steven Stills and Richie Furay) debut album (also in glorious mono).

I will be adding additional cuts to the Big Walter Horton album and Otis Redding's album on Saturday night sometime.

Have a great weekend and enjoy!

“Learn the rules like a pro, so you can break them like an artist.”
Pablo Picasso

The weather has turned cold. Thankful steady delivery of electricity for the heat pump and wood available for the fireplace. The Crock pot is keeping the cold corner of the kitchen warm while cooking tonight's dinner. Just a few items that caught my interest this week.

"Swear there ain't no heaven and pray there ain't no hell."

What happens when we die. That's the big question that's plagued mankind since, probably, when the first synapse fired. Religion answers that question for the true believers and that, in my humble opinion, explains the various religions' popularity.

I'm not much of a spiritual person, never have been. But I do find solace in my simple belief. My simple belief answers that age old question as well, but my conclusion wont sit well with religion. Although, I guess, it could be considered a religion unto itself, a belief derived from science, mostly cosmology. It works for me.